
The Vision for the Future of Attleborough
Following the Community Planning Weekend the team at John Thompson & Partners have incorporated the key ideas raised by people into a Vision for the future. This Masterplan shows improvements to amenities in the town and the flow of traffic. It shows the development of the new southern extension as complementary to the existing town. Two neighbourhoods are shown on either side of a new Town Park which brings the countryside from the south down to the railway line. This will ensure that the existing centre of Attleborough retains its position as the focus of the town. The eastern neighbourhood has a small centre called Foundry Cross, and the western has the Mere Park Enterprise Village.
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Key to masterplan
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A Vision for Attleborough
About 400 people participated in the Attleborough Community Planning Weekend facilitated by John Thompson and Partners (JTP) on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 February 2010 to help shape a new Vision for the extension of the town. At the Weekend people participated in two days of discussion workshops, walkabouts and hands-on planning groups to explore local and site specific issues and possible solutions and principles for growth. Following the two public days the team from JTP analysed and summarised the outcomes and developed an illustrated Vision for the future, which was reported back to the community at 7pm on Tuesday 9 February at Attleborugh High School.
Most people accept that growth will happen and want to ensure that it is beneficial for the town. They want the new extension to integrate well with the town and support it by easing traffic congestion, enlivening the town centre with improved retail, creating better cultural, recreational, sports facilities and new open spaces, and creating a new image for the town as an enterprising community. They want more local jobs and homes for local people as well as incomers.
Background Breckland District Council’s (BDC) Core Strategy identifies Attleborough as a strategic growth location to accommodate up to 4,500 homes and associated development. In accordance with the strategy Attleborough Land Ltd (part of Ptarmigan Land Ltd) is promoting land to the south of the railway for the majority of this growth. It is anticipated that an outline planning application will be submitted in 2011. In advance of this, the BDC will be preparing an Area Action Plan for Attleborough and Snetterton Heath to lay down site-specific guidelines for development. To help inform this process Attleborough Land commissioned JTP to engage local residents and stakeholders in an assessment of the issues and opportunities for the site and surrounding areas and to create a new Vision for the future.